WV VOAD Nationally Recognized for BRIDGE Project!

 

Charleston, WV, Monday June, 13 2016 – West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (WV VOAD) was awarded the 2016 Innovative Project of the Year by the National VOAD in recognition for the WV VOAD Bridge Project and its impact on WV communities. WV VOAD State Chair, Jenny Gannaway, received the award on behalf of WV VOAD at the four day National VOAD conference this May in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The destruction of over 300 private bridges during flooding events in 2015 has left many WV families without safe access to their homes for over a year. Unable to properly repair the damage themselves, families are crossing dangerous waterways in order to go to work, the grocery store, doctor visits and transport their children to school. WV VOAD established the WV VOAD Bridge Project to help these families resiliently rebuild/ repair their bridges. Through collaboration with VOAD disaster response agencies, State and local officials, Federal agencies and businesses, WV VOAD is efficiently coordinating volunteers, equipment and building materials to build safe and sustainable private bridges that meet all federal requirements.

The 2016 Innovate Program of the Year was awarded to WV VOAD for exceptional ingenuity in the development of the WV VOAD Bridge project, for the project’s positive impact on the community in meeting unmet needs and its ability to be replicated as a model in other communities. Out of 323 applications for assistance, there have been sixteen bridges built so far from donations and volunteer labor coordinated by the WV VOAD Bridge Project.

The Adopt-A-Bridge program enables individuals, organizations and businesses to take part in this award winning project by sponsoring or cosponsoring the building of a bridge. Learn more about the WV VOAD Bridge Project and donate at www.wvvoad.org
West Virginia VOAD is a humanitarian association of independent organizations that may be active in all phases of disaster. Its mission is to identify unmet needs and facilitate efficient streamlined service delivery to those imperiled or impacted by disaster while eliminating duplication of effort through cooperation, coordination, communication, collaboration in the four phases of disaster: preparation, response, recovery and mitigation. West Virginia is a state chapter of the National VOAD.